Protection officer accused of exposure and upskirting on public transport
A diplomatic protection officer accused of upskirting on public transport and exposing himself has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Christopher Herd, 48, a former sergeant in specialist operations with the Metropolitan Police, is accused of four offences in Essex over six months last year.
Herd, who resigned from the force in March, is charged with one count of exposure in Manningtree in July last year, and three counts of recording an image under clothing without consent between March and August 2024 in Clacton-on-Sea.
The Met, which has confirmed he worked for its parliamentary and diplomatic protection branch, said the alleged upskirting offences took place on public transport while Herd was on and off duty.
Appearing at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Friday, he confirmed his name, address and date of birth and pleaded not guilty to each of the charges.
Herd wore a striped tie and black suit during the 10-minute hearing, during which prosecutors said the fact he was a police officer 'aggravates the offence'.
Crown Court trial
Asked which court he would prefer be tried in, Herd said: 'I would like to elect a crown court hearing please.'
He will go on trial in June at Chelmsford Crown Court and he has been released on conditional bail.
Deputy District Judge Jennifer Twite said his bail conditions included not being allowed to go on public transport unaccompanied and not contacting anyone under the age of 18 except his own children.
He is also banned from deleting any photos or videos without the consent of police or from recording anyone in a public place.
The Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday that Herd had been charged in April with a number of sexual offences following an investigation by officers in Essex.
The force said he worked in Special Operations, but later confirmed he was attached to the parliamentary and diplomatic protection branch.
Herd was arrested by Essex Police in August 2024 on suspicion of indecent exposure, which is alleged to have taken place while off duty.
Following further enquiries, he was arrested again on suspicion of upskirting.
The alleged offences are also said to have happened both when he was on and off duty while travelling on public transport.
Following his arrest, he was suspended, and he resigned on March 1. The Met's Directorate of Professional Standards is aware of the case.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
31 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Child Q told she ‘may be arrested' if she did not consent to search, panel hears
A black schoolgirl who was strip searched by Metropolitan Police officers was told she 'might be arrested' if she refused to comply, a misconduct panel has heard. The girl, known as Child Q, was strip searched by officers in Hackney, east London, on December 3 2020 after her school wrongly suspected her of carrying cannabis. This involved the removal of the 15-year-old's clothing including underwear, her bending over and having to expose intimate parts of her body while she was menstruating, the panel heard. Trainee detective constable (TDC) Kristina Linge, Pc Victoria Wray and Pc Rafal Szmydynski, who were all Pcs at the time, all deny gross misconduct over their treatment of the girl. On Thursday, TDC Linge, who conducted the strip search alongside Pc Wray, told the misconduct panel in London she informed Child Q she 'might be arrested' when the girl asked what could happen if she refused to be searched, but that there had been 'no threat of arrest'. 'Will you accept you were giving Child Q the option of being strip searched or arrested?' Elliot Gold, for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), asked. 'There were no options given like that,' the officer replied. 'Do you accept that saying that to a 15-year-old might make them feel frightened?' Mr Gold continued. 'Yes,' TDC Linge responded. 'Do you accept that saying that to a 15-year-old might make them feel under duress?' he asked. 'Potentially,' she responded. The panel heard that when asked previously what the officer had proposed to do if she found cannabis on Child Q, TDC Linge answered: 'As per legislation, a juvenile found in possession must be arrested and brought to custody'. TDC Linge previously said Child Q had 'consented' to the search, but admitted under cross-examination on Thursday that this was not accurate. The officer confirmed she had completed equality training, including on unconscious bias and discriminatory stereotypes, and said she was 'aware' of stereotypes relating to black people. She said she did not 'see the relevance' of the fact Child Q was being questioned by two white police officers. Mr Gold asked: 'Would you accept that a stereotype of black people is they may more likely to be stopped and searched?' 'No,' TDC Linge replied. 'Would you accept that a stereotype of black people is they are more likely to be in receipt of use of force by police?' he continued. 'No,' she responded. The 46-year-old denied she 'did not recognise Child Q as a child' and was, in effect, 'treating her as older than she was'. The former Pc previously admitted a series of failings in her actions during the incident, including not making a record of the search or considering proportionality, and recognised the search should not have happened, accepting it had caused the child 'harm and distress'. When asked whether she would have done anything differently had the circumstances been 'exactly the same' but Child Q had been white, TDC Linge replied: 'No.' TDC Linge said she suspected Child Q was carrying a 'small amount' of cannabis, based on what she could smell and information from teachers. Pc Szmydynski, who stood outside the room while the search took place, told the panel on Thursday that the school's deputy safeguarding lead and headteacher had repeated the phrase that Child Q was a 'danger to herself and others'. The panel heard Pc Szmydynski requested attendance of another female to 'assist us with searching if need be', before speaking to Child Q to assess whether there were grounds for a search. Child Q told him she smelled of cannabis as she had been with someone earlier that day who had smoked the drug which, along with information from teachers, formed grounds for the search, the officer said. He denied that a 'strip search' was discussed in front of him or between himself, the teachers and Pc Linge. The officer, who joined the Met Police in 2014, described the child as 'very cultured and very polite', adding that she was not rude 'at any point' during their interaction. The panel heard the child informed the officers who searched her that she was menstruating, but the search continued during which her sanitary pad was exposed. When no drugs were found, Child Q's hair was also scoured. According to the allegations, Pcs Linge and Szmydynski performed a search that exposed the girl's intimate parts when this was 'disproportionate in all the circumstances'. Pcs Linge and Wray are also accused of performing or allowing the search in a manner which was 'unjustified, inappropriate, disproportionate, humiliating and degrading'. All of this happened without authorisation, in the absence of an appropriate adult, and with no adequate concern being given to Child Q's age, sex, or the need to treat her as a child, and that the child's race was an effective cause of this, it is also alleged. Pcs Szmydynski and Linge are further accused of giving a 'misleading record' of the search afterwards. On Wednesday, TDC Linge told the hearing she did not accept accusations of breaches of respect of authority and respecting courtesy. The girl will not be giving evidence at the tribunal 'because of the psychological effects' the search has had on her, the panel has heard. Outrage over Child Q's treatment led to protests outside Stoke Newington Police Station. Scotland Yard has previously apologised over the incident.
Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Inspector's report into Chinese ‘mega-embassy' with ministers for final decision
Communities minister Baroness Taylor of Stevenage said a Government determination on the application would be made on or before September 9. Until then, neither the inspector's report nor its recommendation would be made public. The plans by Beijing for a super-embassy on the historic former site of the Royal Mint near the capital's financial district have sparked security concerns. Worries stem from the close proximity of the extensive development to critical data centres and communication cables. The contentious scheme comes against the backdrop of ongoing disquiet over Chinese interference in the UK, with allegations of spies infiltrating the establishment and secret police stations being used to intimidate dissidents in Britain. Unease has also previously been raised over ministerial involvement in progressing the plans, after the Metropolitan Police dropped their opposition. The final decision on the application now rests with Communities Secretary Angela Rayner (PA/Gareth Fuller) The embassy development was 'called in', which means Communities Secretary Angela Rayner, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, will make the final decision taking into account the inspector's findings. Updating peers at Westminster, Lady Taylor said: 'The inspector's report was received on June 10 by the department. 'Parties have been notified that a decision will be made on or before September 9 2025. 'As the report has just been received, we have not yet begun to assess the case. 'The inspector's report will form part of the final decision and will be released alongside it. 'Until that point, neither the recommendation nor the report will be made public.' She added: 'Because we now have the report, we will be considering it, it wouldn't be helpful to comment on any specific security issue raised on the application while it's under active consideration by the department.' The minister said the inspector's evidence-based recommendation would take into account a wide variety of material planning matters, which 'may include safety and national security'. Pressed over previous warnings by the head of MI5 over the 'epic scale' of Chinese espionage in the UK, Lady Taylor said: 'National security is, of course, the first duty of government, more generally. 'With regards to the specifics of the case, the inspector's report will consider the application against all of the national issues, local issues and regional issues, according to planning policy, and safety and national security will be taken into consideration, to make sure that we have considered fully all of the issues that may relate to this planning application.' She added: 'It's difficult to answer general questions about the relationship with China and talk about that in the same space as a planning decision, which has to be taken according to a fixed process. 'But please be assured that national security is (something) we very strongly consider to be our first duty.' Independent crossbencher Lord Alton of Liverpool, who has been banned by Beijing over his criticism of its human rights record, including its treatment of the Uighur Muslim minority, said: 'It's hard to imagine that if in 1980 the former Soviet Union had asked for a prime site for a new mega-embassy that we in Parliament would have agreed at that time.' Responding, Lady Taylor said: 'The Government stands firm on human rights, including against China's repression of the people of Xinjiang and Tibet.' On the plans for the embassy, she added: 'All material planning considerations will be taken into account in determining the case.'
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Inspector's report into Chinese ‘mega-embassy' with ministers for final decision
Until then, neither the inspector's report nor its recommendation would be made public. The plans by Beijing for a super-embassy on the historic former site of the Royal Mint near the capital's financial district have sparked security concerns. Worries stem from the close proximity of the extensive development to critical data centres and communication cables. The contentious scheme comes against the backdrop of ongoing disquiet over Chinese interference in the UK, with allegations of spies infiltrating the establishment and secret police stations being used to intimidate dissidents in Britain. Unease has also previously been raised over ministerial involvement in progressing the plans, after the Metropolitan Police dropped their opposition. The final decision on the application now rests with Communities Secretary Angela Rayner (PA/Gareth Fuller) The embassy development was 'called in', which means Communities Secretary Angela Rayner, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, will make the final decision taking into account the inspector's findings. Updating peers at Westminster, Lady Taylor said: 'The inspector's report was received on June 10 by the department. 'Parties have been notified that a decision will be made on or before September 9 2025. 'As the report has just been received, we have not yet begun to assess the case. 'The inspector's report will form part of the final decision and will be released alongside it. 'Until that point, neither the recommendation nor the report will be made public.' She added: 'Because we now have the report, we will be considering it, it wouldn't be helpful to comment on any specific security issue raised on the application while it's under active consideration by the department.' The minister said the inspector's evidence-based recommendation would take into account a wide variety of material planning matters, which 'may include safety and national security'. Pressed over previous warnings by the head of MI5 over the 'epic scale' of Chinese espionage in the UK, Lady Taylor said: 'National security is, of course, the first duty of government, more generally. 'With regards to the specifics of the case, the inspector's report will consider the application against all of the national issues, local issues and regional issues, according to planning policy, and safety and national security will be taken into consideration, to make sure that we have considered fully all of the issues that may relate to this planning application.' She added: 'It's difficult to answer general questions about the relationship with China and talk about that in the same space as a planning decision, which has to be taken according to a fixed process. 'But please be assured that national security is (something) we very strongly consider to be our first duty.' Independent crossbencher Lord Alton of Liverpool, who has been banned by Beijing over his criticism of its human rights record, including its treatment of the Uighur Muslim minority, said: 'It's hard to imagine that if in 1980 the former Soviet Union had asked for a prime site for a new mega-embassy that we in Parliament would have agreed at that time.' Responding, Lady Taylor said: 'The Government stands firm on human rights, including against China's repression of the people of Xinjiang and Tibet.' On the plans for the embassy, she added: 'All material planning considerations will be taken into account in determining the case.'
